Hi i’m mala krishnan

I am a founder of Malesian Keittiö Klubi(Malaysian Kitchen Club) in Helsinki. My work focuses on introducing and celebrating specialist Southeast Asian ingredients—particularly from Peninsular Malaysia—through cooking, teaching, and storytelling.

My journey with food began at a very young age. Growing up in a farming family, I was surrounded by the rhythm of the land and the value of fresh produce. I learned early on that every ingredient carries not just flavor, but also history, ecology, and culture. Those roots shaped my understanding of how deeply food connects us to our environment and to each other.

This early education inspired me to pursue a career in the culinary world, where I now combine professional experience with a lifelong passion for food heritage. Through my work, I aim to bridge the gap between modern lifestyles and traditional food knowledge, helping people rediscover the importance of origin ingredients and the ecosystems that sustain them.

In a fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose sight of where our food comes from. My mission is to slow down that conversation—inviting people to taste, learn, and appreciate the cultural and ecological stories behind each ingredient. This is also the spirit behind my RUAN project, which connects indigenous food knowledge with sustainability, offering pathways for both ecological care and cultural exchange.

Food education, for me, is not only about what we eat—it’s about honoring the land, the farmers, and the traditions that make our food possible.